Cab clearance lights replacement

[StillRunning_60]

Ordered new red and orange led clearance lights from etrailer for my 02 windsor. Thought that would be a simple job. Wrong. So far it has been a big job. First the old light housing will only come out about 2 inches and the 2 wires are both black. I can not see where they connect to the main 2 wires (white and black) which I can see through the light opening. I think the lights are wired in parallel. Any help will be greatly appreciated. Larry

[waterskier_1]

I had a similar problem with my 97 Dynasty.  I was able to gently pull out enough to see the wires the pigtails were crimped to.  Yes, they are, for the most part, wired in parallel.  The were some, lower on the sides, that also flashed with the turn signals.  Those are much more problematic, since they are fed one direction when the markers are not on, to light the bulb, and another direction when the markers are on, to extinguish the bulb.  LED's will not work bi-directional.  There are work around, but it's not easy.  First check if and which bulbs flash with the turn signals, and then decide if you really want to replace those specific lights with LEDs.

 

[DavidL]

Pull the wires out gently.  Wrap some masking tape around the wires so they don't retract back into the body.  Clip the wires and pull back the insulation.  Using a Voltmeter, determine which is Positive and which is Negative.  the voltage should be 12volts (when On).

Use some solderless crimp connectors and attach new lights to correct wiring.  Test.

Unwrap masking tape and silicone the base so water doesn't enter body hole.  Resecure screws for light.

[StillRunning_60]

That is by biggest problem as the short amount of wiring that I am able to expose is not enough to get any wire stripper or crimper on them. I am afraid to pull to hard on the light socket is you can see the wiring is very cracky looking.

[JDCrow]

Just a thought, as I haven’t looked into it. Can you access and pull new wires if you took the front tv out? The cabinets are also pretty easy to take apart with an small impact driver. 

New clearance lights are on my list as well. 

[Dr4Film]

This clearly shows that these coaches are like "snowflakes". I had to replace two front Amber Running Lights on my 2002 Windsor back in 2019. I had plenty of wiring to snip off the old lamp beyond the crimp connectors, then I installed a new wire disconnect plug along with a new LED lamp fixture. I had to modify the base of the new lamps as the wires came out of the back edge versus in the center like the old ones.

I ordered this Red and Amber LED Lamp Kit from Amazon - https://tinyurl.com/4rqcn3ur

There are many other LED Red and Amber Lamp Kits to choose from.

I ordered the 12 VDC Wire Connectors also from Amazon. Here is one example but there are many to choose from at all different gauges - https://tinyurl.com/5ahvcrex

There was insulation up in the top of the front cap so I had to push that out of the way to allow the wire to come out further to see the crimp connectors. If I remember correctly they black and white versus red and black or red and white.

Edited May 28, 2021 by Dr4Film

[waterskier_1]

Richard's post reminded me that I had to change the routing of the wires from the side to the back also.  It's been a while, and I think I knew that when I ordered them - I simply drilled a hole  through the back.  

 

[Guest Ray Davis]

3 hours ago, JDCrow said:

Can you access and pull new wires if you took the front tv out?

I think you could,  at least the 3 middle ones are right there on mine,  but that's not likely to be necessary.

[StillRunning_60]

Been reading about the 221 Waco 2 pole connectors. Has anyone used these type of connectors. If they are an effective way to connect 2 wires then I could add longer strands of wire for the light socket.

I am working on the red rear lights for now. 

 

[OhReally]

StillRunning, if you haven't resolved your short wire issue, snip the wires that connect directly to the light assembly, at the old light assembly, and that should give you additional length to connect the new light. Yes, it's not necessarily good to add additional wire connections but for a marker light that draws only a small current you will be okay. Good luck.

-jamie